aviation hardships

[avbug]

Then you don't feel screwed so badly.

That would really depend on the boss's wife, wouldn't it?

FN, if it helps any, I doubt Jesus is much more proficient with the quotes, either. You seldom see him posting here.

 

[captainv]

My first corporate gig was a dream. Hired to fly a baron before the ink was dry on my commercial ticket. I showed up - they hadn't bought the airplane yet. No worries, just make him a Lear 25 FO. The next 6 weeks were a whirlwind, especially the trips to the Caymans.

Ahhh, but it turns out two of the minority partners were running a $300 million Ponzi scheme. My CP was on a trip with one of the bad guys at his palatial beachfront home in Ft. Lauderdale. He answered the door when the FBI raided the place. I'll never forget the approach brief on my last flight - "We'll fly the ILS to ..., left turnoff into the ramp. Now, if armed federal agents meet the airplane, here's what we're going to do..."

oh well, at least i hadn't given them my life's savings to invest, as most of the other pilots had. But seriously, wouldn't you ask a few questions if someone guaranteed you a 36% annual return?

the SEC seized everything and the jets sat for almost a year before getting sold cheap at auction.

I do remember a Westwind coming into our maintenance hangar for paint/interior/avionics upgrades worth about $500,000. The crew got paged, was told the owner had replaced them with a crew that would fly for $10,000/year less. But he paid the captain a few hundred $$ a week to supervise the work on the airplane. Our DM padded the bill a bit to give him a decent severence...

 

[B737Dvr]

listen up jeff

Hope you were listening to captainv there jeff,....when things seem rather hectic and haphazard, when things are promised then not delivered take notice....be able to look beyond that shiny new learjet on the ramp when you have less than 1000TT and learn to read and interpret warnings signs......
this is but one example out of hundreds that can happen!

 

[FN FAL]

FN, if it helps any, I doubt Jesus is much more proficient with the quotes, either. You seldom see him posting here.

Haha...I'm sure that with the veritable plethora of forum members qualified to walk on water here at FI, he's got better things to do elsewhere!

:laugh:

 

[avbug]

Perhaps..."saving" someone who's committed to being an aviator is a little like trying to talk down a committed suicide. Or teaching a pig to sing. You know how that one goes.

 

[EMB170Pilot]

haha yeah i know, it was my first commerical pilot paying job. anyone know of pilots needing any co pilots in the northwest ohio area ? i make a great co pilot.

you could get a job flying for the Univ of Michigan. Oh wait nevermind, your from ohio, they dont hire your kind

 

[NuGuy]

When you have a good job, there is nothing better than aviation. When you have a bad job there is nothing worse. The worst thing is, the good jobs can end without notice and the bad jobs just won't go away.

Good God...They need to print that on a card, and include it with every commerical, ATP or CFI ticket sent out.

I worked a CFI job where the owner came in and told the flight staff that everyone had to take a 40% cut. The sales people is where the money went, and enrollments still declined.

Worked a "regional" job. Came to work one day, and everything not physically bolted to the terminal building was gone...no signs, phones, computers, and certainly no airplane. A call to flight following (pre-dispatcher days), phones disconnected. Call to scheduling...same thing. Called the general 800 and the regular number to the company. Disconnected.

After some calls to 411, found the owners home phone #. Got his wife..."oh, we shut down last night. I guess someone should have told you".

I really don't know what it is, but aviation is the greatest a$$hole magnet of all time, with employees being treated worse than a stray cat.

Nu

 

[Photoflight]

I haven't really experienced anything like this yet but I know of more than one guy who were told mid or shortly after flight safety that they plane had been sold. One company even tried to sue the pilot into paying for half the flightsafety costs of the falcon.

I honestly think if that crap happened I'd be takin the plane to mexico and selling it cheap, it atleast would be so broken that it wouldn't fly for a year.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

Years ago when I entered the door to the jet bridge I was working at the strongest company in aviation. By the time I walked down to the airplane I was working at the weakest. Welcome to aviation, this industry is capable of changing by the minute.

 

[pa31capt]

I'm losing my job in Aug, Managment still hasn't informed me, just the couriers who are having their hours cut. And they wonder why many pilots don't have any loyalty. Welcome to aviation!

 

[152hvy]

My first corporate gig was a dream. Hired to fly a baron before the ink was dry on my commercial ticket. I showed up - they hadn't bought the airplane yet. No worries, just make him a Lear 25 FO. The next 6 weeks were a whirlwind, especially the trips to the Caymans.

Ahhh, but it turns out two of the minority partners were running a $300 million Ponzi scheme. My CP was on a trip with one of the bad guys at his palatial beachfront home in Ft. Lauderdale. He answered the door when the FBI raided the place. I'll never forget the approach brief on my last flight - "We'll fly the ILS to ..., left turnoff into the ramp. Now, if armed federal agents meet the airplane, here's what we're going to do..."

oh well, at least i hadn't given them my life's savings to invest, as most of the other pilots had. But seriously, wouldn't you ask a few questions if someone guaranteed you a 36% annual return?

the SEC seized everything and the jets sat for almost a year before getting sold cheap at auction.

I do remember a Westwind coming into our maintenance hangar for paint/interior/avionics upgrades worth about $500,000. The crew got paged, was told the owner had replaced them with a crew that would fly for $10,000/year less. But he paid the captain a few hundred $$ a week to supervise the work on the airplane. Our DM padded the bill a bit to give him a decent severence...

You're lucky, that would have made a good documentary for the History channel. Several months back, a DC-9 from Venezuela landed in Mexico and was intercepted by the Mexican soldier, onboard was 5.5 tons of cocaine, the capt bailed out but the fo was not lucky enough and was arrested......I guess he didn't get his approach brief.

 

[FN FAL]

Several months back, a DC-9 from Venezuela landed in Mexico and was intercepted by the Mexican soldier.

An army of ONE? First our jobs, then our women, now our army recruiting slogan. Will it ever end?

 

[SpiderMan]

Hang in there this is still a great career, I am still living my dreams 55 years later.

Yeah well you get to fly old warbirds. I'm sorry but not many get to do that.